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FeedTransparently Modern
By Alecia Stevens
Photo by Alex Steinberg
Since a tight checkbook is the stepmother of invention, this home is chock-full of creative solutions to mundane matters. With a fresh-off-the-press master’s degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota, Ben began with the simplest of forms: the barn. He kept interior walls of the 2,000-square-foot home to a minimum and used local materials whenever possible—including a fallen, silver maple tree from his parents’ yard for the flooring. After building the home for his family, which includes two young sons, Ben founded City Desk Studio in Minneapolis, a firm known for its spirit of inventiveness and modernist roots.
1 The Shell A house without walls might seem like a good idea, but ultimately something has to support the second floor. To maintain the intention of transparency and define the dining area, Ben designed a “wall” of galvanized steel pipes that evoke a wall of organ pipes. The chalky gray color is a cool contrast to the warm wood and complements the dry-laid bluestone fireplace.
2 Way Cool We Midwesterners love our “warm” woods. But without cooler elements, a space can go from visually warm to way too hot. Here, the white walls balance the wood floors and Douglas fir ceilings. “What we have discovered and love about the room is that the wood above and below make it feel intimate, while the white walls makes it almost gallery-like,” Ben says. “Our things seem almost like a collection in here—whether photography or pottery or a piece of furniture.”
3 Collector’s Eye Since the Awes didn’t have much money to furnish the home after building it, they were always on the lookout for a find. The ’40s bent-plywood, Thonet dining chairs were in someone’s yard. Ben asked if he could have them, then he built an aluminum and plywood table to complement them. The sofa, an eBay score, is vintage Milo Bauman. The hat dance lamp? Grandma. And the iconic Eames molded fiberglass chair is a personal favorite that Ben found at a local antique store. (Notice the wooden legs, rather than the later mass-produced metal.) “Our theory is if you like it, buy it,” Ben says. “It will probably work in the end.” As long as you have a sense of style, he’s right.
Alecia Stevens is a Minneapolis interior designer and stylist.
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11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
